Calling all citrus lovers! I made you the most refreshing rosemary grapefruit sodas, perfect for warm days ahead.

When I was pregnant with Henry, I became something of an expert on delicious homemade (non-alcoholic) beverages. With the key being ultra refreshing.

Let me tell you, being eight months pregnant in August – sans air conditioning – is not ideal. It was approximately ten thousand degrees last summer when I was in the final stretch to meeting our little one, and I was thirsty. all. the. time.

There was no pale pink rosé for me of course – my ever-adored Summer sipper – and even my love of LaCroix has its limits, so to cope, and stay hydrated (and give myself a sweet treat), I started making homemade Italian sodas with fresh herbs and fruit juices.

This rosemary grapefruit soda was one of my early concoctions, naturally-sweetened with a rosemary simple syrup, made with honey and pure cane sugar. It’s bright and herbaceous, thanks to freshly-squeezed, perfectly tart, ruby red grapefruit juice, and topped off with a splash of sparkling water.

In other very important news, the lilacs are in full bloom. I can’t get enough of these gorgeous, violet blossoms, and I’m stopping about every ten feet on our afternoon stroller walks to creep on our neighbors gardens. They’re showing off in the best possible way.

Now back to these sodas. Do you think grapefruit gets overshadowed by other citrus fruits? It’s certainly an underrepresented flavor on this blog, compared to say, the ever-popular Meyer lemon, but it’s a nice change of pace from my typical go-tos of lemon, orange, or tangerine.

I also think it may be one of those ingredients, like cilantro, that people either love, or hate. And if you’re not on team grapefruit, this recipe will likely work with just about any citrus you please. Just sub in your favorite, one-for-one.

There’s also absolutely no reason you couldn’t turn this soda into a cocktail. Give it paloma vibes with a splash of tequila and a squeeze of lime, or double down on the herby notes with a floral gin.

The rosemary grapefruit syrup can be made in advance and keeps for about a week, which is ideal for doling out single servings, but can also be easily multiplied if feeding a crowd. Cheers!

Instructions

make the rosemary grapefruit simple syrup: Heat the water, sugar, honey, and grapefruit juice in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Add the grapefruit zest and rosemary, and let gently simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and steep for up to an hour.

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass jar, and chill before serving. Can be made in advance, and stored in the refrigerator for about a week.

make the honey rosemary grapefruit sodas: To serve, fill a highball glass with ice. Add the rosemary simple syrup and fresh grapefruit juice. Stir to combine. Top with soda/sparkling water.

Garnish with grapefruit slices and/or a sprig of rosemary. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Make it boozy: Add 1 shot of gin before topping with soda.

Make it a rosemary paloma cocktail: Add 1 shot of tequila and a big squeeze of lime to the rosemary simple and grapefruit juice. Cheers!

Make it vegan: Swap pure maple syrup or organic cane sugar for the honey.

Make it paleo: Swap out the cane sugar, and use a full cup of honey. The honey flavor will be more pronounced, but equally delicious!

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It seems that I found the perfect summer drink! Of course, it will like only lovers of grapefruits (for example, my sisters hate them). But I already want to please my family with this drink this coming weekend! If you have any more interesting recipes for summer drinks – share a link, please.